Homesford WTW
Homesford Water Treatment Works
Photo shows the 1895 map prior to construction of Homesford Water Works in 1904 by the Ilkeston and Heanor Water Board.

Many of you will recall the Homesford Cottage Inn and the barn opposite with the same name written in large white letters on the roof. This is the entrance to the works. I think the pub is now a private home and the Barn is now a cafe. Anyway, that aside, the row of houses either side of the pub would have been built to house the shift workers at the water treatment works. Two large properties on the works were for the Works Superintendent and his deputy. (Below the 'W' of Water) This would have been Fred Simpson and later Bill Laister. The only deputy I remember was Horace Potter.

Russ Boyak says: When I worked at Homesford many of the employees were former IHWB staff. The senior Engineer in the office was Jim Smith, the son of the Engineer who designed the original works and became its first Engineer and Manager. The new works built in 1970 by FC Construction, who carried out the concrete works for the tanks and Permutit? installed the softening mechanical plant. I think Horace Potter moved into the house nearest the entrance to the works after Fred Simpson retired.

Brian Duckworth says: Bill Laister was always complaining to me that despite living in a large house, it had no electricity!

Photo from side by side historical mapping from National Library of Scotland